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“Thank you to Angel at Teavivre for the sample.
Rinse x 2. Approx. 4g/3oz x 15 sec/steeps.
Wet leaf has the slightest hint of compost type scent initially but this disappears and switches to fruity...”
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“Thank you Teavivre for the samples! I initially didn’t want to try the raw pu-erh for sampling, since I’m not sure my palatte understands the flavors in raw pu-erh. I’m also not...”
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“thank you Angel for this sample. Sadly, i’ve had this a couple times now and it’s not the right puerh for me. There’s something about the taste that comes through on this one...”
Read full tasting note

“So the first time I ever tried green pu-erh I said never again. I thought it was bitter and tasted like a latex glove. Then I realized it was operator error because I brewed it too long. ...”
Read full tasting note

From Teavivre

Taste: full and strong flavor, nice and smooth taste; high aroma, with lingering, strong sweet aftertaste, along with a heavy secretion of saliva.

Xi Gui Raw Pu-erh 2013 is quite changeful in taste. Maybe you are familiar with the typical bold and unconstrained features of raw tea, or have tasted the mild and gentle characteristic brought by our Wild Tree Pu-erh. But this Xi Gui tea is a combination of both.

13 Tasting Notes

Rinse x 2. Approx. 4g/3oz x 15 sec/steeps.
Wet leaf has the slightest hint of compost type scent initially but this disappears and switches to fruity apricot after the third cup.
First cup after the rinses tastes tart and cooling, but after that the taste becomes sweet and fruity with apricot and grape-like notes. Very pleasant hints of bitterness sort of like the taste of chewing on the seeds from grapes.
Light and refreshing, but also seems to have a peppery warming sensation awhile after drinking. Soft and lovely, with still more steeping to do.

Preparation

Thank you Teavivre for the samples! I initially didn’t want to try the raw pu-erh for sampling, since I’m not sure my palatte understands the flavors in raw pu-erh. I’m also not quite sure the correct way to steep them, especially when Teavivre’s website and the sample pouch seem to be giving different parameters. I always want to be tasting a tea properly! I used the majority of my sample pouch, though I’m supposed to be using 10 grams of tea for a gaiwan 100ml/3.4 oz. I’m using my big mug but only filling it halfway, so it’s still steeping in about 6 ounces of water. The leaves in this cake are very long and wiry! I haven’t had a raw pu-erh in a while, so here goes…

Steep #1 // 25 min after boiling // rinse // 40 second steep
As I suspected, it’s very tough for me to puzzle these flavors out! Raw pu-erh is always very mild to me, but at the same time, seems very full with flavor, if that makes sense. There is a buzzy characteristic to the mouth feel, though I’m not sure what that means.. like it has the tiny fuzzies of a white tea, but I don’t see many in the mug. The flavor is a little of many things: creamy, lemony, licorice (maybe the mouth feel), maple, autumn leaf, apple, butter.

Steep #2 // 20 min after boiling // 40 seconds
I think I’ll try steeping this tea decreasing the steep time each steep by five minutes.This pale gold brew seems like tiny hints of many flavors. Now it’s pineapple, more apple, apricot, many hints of fruit while not being entirely fruity. Also hints of cedar trees happening. There is still a buzziness happening (I’ve never had this with any other tea before, so it’s a little odd), and it also seems like it could become a touch too bitter, so I’m glad I didn’t steep this one with more leaves, hotter temp or a longer steep time.

Steep #3 // 17 min after boiling // 50 second steep
Steep #4 // 15 min after boiling // 50 second steep
The other two steeps were fairly the same but a little astringent. The first two steeps were much tastier. If I only knew the correct way to steep this tea! Though it’s very good, raw pu-erh isn’t my choice in what I’d be drinking… the astringency likes to take over in later steeps with raw pu-erh. I love the smooth, coffee-like ripened pu-erhs any time! Somehow the ripened pu-erh always stays smooth no matter how long its steeped. I think I like a couple more of the raw pu-erhs from Teavivre slightly better than this anyway.http://www.teavivre.com/black-friday-sales/

thank you Angel for this sample. Sadly, i’ve had this a couple times now and it’s not the right puerh for me. There’s something about the taste that comes through on this one that just doesn’t work for me. Maybe it’s too green? not sure but i was still happy to try it. I know Angel has some fantastic puerhs that i do like, so i can handle not loving all of them :)

So the first time I ever tried green pu-erh I said never again. I thought it was bitter and tasted like a latex glove. Then I realized it was operator error because I brewed it too long. I’m huge fan of pu-erh. It is my favorite type of tea to drink. So with that said I have a new perspective on the greens. I was pretty excited about trying this one. I’ve experienced buttery on a green, but the first brew was buttery. It’s pretty much a straight up green. There’s not really any hidden nuances that come out due to it being a pu-erh. It’s pretty good but as far as pu-erh goes there’s not much that can touch black pu-erh. It’s good though.

Final sample from Angel and Teavivre. I’m a beginner at Pu-erh, and a nobody when it comes to Raw Pu’erh. This will be the first one I’ve ever, ever tried. I’ve heard good things, though, so I’m actually pretty excited to dive straight in.

Fresh from the packet, the dry leaves smell of apricot and grape. There’s a deep, winey scent which is really appealing. The recommended parameters are 6-10 minutes at 212, and I’m going to go for the bottom end of the range for my first steep. I gave the leaves a short rinse before preparing my first cup proper.

First cup, and the liquor is bright golden yellow. The scent is very fruity; stonefruit generically, but I think apricot more specifically. To taste, it’s a completely odd duck. Initially, I’m getting quite a strong flavour of mushroom; quite nutty , a little damp-tasting. Then a smooth, sweet apricot note develops, which, frankly, is more than a little weird next to the mushroom. There’s a light astringency in the aftertaste, but nothing overwhelming.

Second steep is very similar to the first. The mushroom notes are a bit milder, but the same (quite jarring) contrast with the apricot is still there. The astringency is increasing, to the point where my mouth and throat feel quite dry after taking a sip.

I know this one is good for multiple resteeps, but I’m going to leave it here because I’m not really enjoying it. I have another sample of this one to try at a later date, so hopefully I can analyse what I’m doing and make some amendments. I think perhaps western style brewing is not the way with this one.

I brewed multiple steeps of this in my gaiwan, but I think I underleafed it, as the flavour was extremely light throughout. The liquor was mostly pale gold, and while I did get stonefruit notes and a hint of astringency/leather, this tea really didn’t grab me the way I thought it would.

I had this one yesterday. This is a really nice young sheng. The first cup is almost subdued. Sure it is slightly bright like raw sheng tends to be but not in an overpowering way. It is slightly mineral and slightly mushroom, yet neither are strong or offensive. Crisp, I think fits this nicely. The aftertaste really hangs on and seems floral to me. The second cup has a bolder but similar flavor. I detect some hints of leather. The third is the brightest, with an almost puckering bitterness. Cup four returns to a much milder cup with apricot notes. The aftertaste lingers and changes from cup to cup. It starts floral then seems more like a tieguanyin. By cup four it has a combination of both. These have all been about 8 oz cups. I have no idea how far it will go but it shows no signs of letting up. Very nice. Thank you Teavivre for this lovely sample.

Thank you Angel from Teavivre for this sample.
I am very very very far from being an expert in Pu-erh. I am even an absolute beginner at this type of tea. I think I only tried one before this one.

First while opening the sample packet, the aromas are lovely as are the dark leaves, with some white points. Funny leaves. After steeping they are now so long, so green, still lovely.

I steeped this tea western style, 6 minutes as recommended and in a boiling water.
The liquor is very very pale, incredible regarding the dark leaves.
I add 2 brown sugar rocks and the liquor becomes now a pale orange.

Drinking it now it is a little bitter but not that much and a kind of special bitterness which adds personnality to a tea.
The notes are fruity : grapes and apricot maybe ?

This is a pleasant tea and ideal for the season, not too heavy, easy to drink.
I am knowing by now I can and should drink some straight pu-erh without fear.